Split Pea Soup

2 cups (1 lb) split peas, green or yellow
3 Tbs butter or oil
1 ham hock or ham bone or cut up chunks of bacon
leftover diced ham, 1-2 cups (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
7 cups water
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Split peas don't need to be pre-soaked like other legumes.

Heat the oil or butter in a stock pot and cook the ham hock, onions, celery, and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add. the water, split peas, leftover ham if using, and salt to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours or longer. Remove the ham bone and cut off any meat you can. Dice the meat and return it to the pot. You can mash the soup up or put it through a strainer if you'd like smoother soup.

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Split Pea Soup